More than four years ago when he became the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had promised to implement OROP. He did, but as the veterans claim, it wasn’t implemented in its true spirit. That’s the reason they have continued to protest for its complete implementation.

In a reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on 19 December 2018, the government said it had implemented OROP with effect from 1 July 2014. As on 30 September 2017, a sum of Rs 10,795.4 crores had been released to 20,60,220 defence forces pensioners/family pensioners in four instalments towards the arrears. It also said that it had appointed One-Member Judicial Committee (OMJC) on OROP to investigate anomalies, if any, arising out of implementation of OROP. The committee submitted its report on 26 October 2016. And now, it has constituted another internal committee to examine the recommendations of the previous one. This seems to be endless, going around in circles.

The definition of OROP as mentioned in government orders for the first time in Committee of Secretaries report of 30 June 2009, states ‘defence personnel retiring with the same rank, same years of service will get the same pension, irrespective of the date of retirement. And, whenever there is a change in the rates of pension, the changed rates will be passed to all the past pensioners, automatically.’

Another committee ordered by the Rajya Sabha, headed by B.S. Koshyari, with 10 MPs under it, submitted its report to the house on 19 December 2011. The report carried the same definition of OROP and recommended the provisions be granted accordingly. The UPA government at that time cited difficulties, technical and financial, in the implementation of OROP, however later they accepted it.